Monday, March 14, 2011

PLANNING OUR MENU

I am late getting this posted because I spent the week end cooking for several events.

A meal/menu planning goal this past week was to start (or continue) working on a basic/fall back list of meals.

Week 1 Challenge- Schedule a new recipe to try this week, and a tried and true recipe to make this week.

Week 2 Challenge- Check your freezer. Make sure you know what is in there. Maybe use something you had forgotten was there.

Week 3 Challenge- Start a list of meals that you can eat/cook often to good reviews.

Week 4 Challenge- (This week) Plan 9 meals for next week.

Although I plan (and write down) a meal for each day, I have 2-3 more at the side of my menu plan. Sometimes I need something faster, or have more time than I thought. Sometimes I forgot to marinate or the meat is frozen or it turns out that I am out of an ingredient. If I stay on schedule, I already have some ideas-for next week.

SUNDAY - We had grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for Lindsay's birthday dinner. Good AND easy. (Thanks, Honey, for always grilling.)

We had the regular sides. Salad bar, fruit tray...

MONDAY - Mango Cashew Chicken. This has been on my list since I saw mangos on sale last week. (I put 2 mangos in, instead of one.) I served it with zuccinni and sliced tomatoes.
For my 30 Days/30 Meals list, I try to use recipes that I would usually have everything for. I decided to put this great tasting chicken dish on my list even though I rarely have unplanned mangos. (I think I will try it with frozen soon.)

FRIDAY - Pizza Friday. I opened a crescent roll tube (I used crescent rolls instead of canned pizza dough, because it is fluffier. It is cheaper, too.) and pressed and sealed all the seams to form about a 9 x 13 rectangle. I lightly spread BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Regular), going to about an inch from the edges. I sprinkled 1-2 grilled chicken breast (pulled apart) over the sauce. (My son in law grilled these for me on Wed. when they grilled for dinner :-) Then I topped the dough with grilled red onions (done in a stove top frying pan) and grated smoked Gouda cheese. (If I am making a regular pizza, I slice the Gouda in rounds for the pizza.

Starting on a long edge, using the edge of your baking sheet or foil) roll the 2 sides up and seal (pinch) together , being sure that everything stays tucked in. Seal it closed at the end.

Start by bake at the temp. and for the time on the crescent roll tube instructions. Then add time as needed to have a nicely browned pizza roll. I usually go about an extra 5 mins.

We love BBQ Chicken Pizza and make it lots of different ways.

SATURDAY - Soup Social and Cub Scout Cake Auction at our church (I took Chicken Enchilada Soup, "filled chocolate cookie" cake, peant butter cup brownies, and cake pops that Ashley (daughter in law :) made for me to take (Andrea, I will trade a batch of these for a jar of your jam? ) I also took a collection of hair bows donated by "Bits and Pieces" donated for the silent auction. (Everything sold well :-)

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I am a stay at home wife to a "go to work for my family" man. He likes his job. I love my life. We had 6 children in 8 years. We added 1 thru love and 3(so far) thru marriage. We have (so far) 2 dearly loved grandsons and 1 granddaughter. I am 53. I thought that was young until I saw some pictures.
Perhaps the best theme for my blog writings is a thought from President Gordon B. Hinckley. "Women for the most part, see their greatest fulfilment, their greatest happinessin home and family."
THIS IS ME!